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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — size or range
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — steady
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. track — a path
  12. present — the time now
  13. firm — decided
  14. track — a song
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — in music
  17. court — for sport
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. firm — a company
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. track — to keep track
  23. march — music
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com